The Fangirl
by Stax Fluffington
Summary: It's every fangirl's dream to live in their fandom's world, but is it really all it's cracked up to be? Blake Rawley is about to find out. Will she be able to avoid destroying the timeline all together? How can she make the Avengers stop hating her guts? And WILL SHE BE ABLE TO MAKE HER OTP BECOME REAL! Set in CA:TWS and AoU. Rated T for cusses, updates Saturdays.
1. 1: Any Fangirl's Dream

**Okie guys, I have been getting people telling me that my story "Home Is Where Your Heart Is" is too Mary Sue-ish. I agree with that somewhat but I like how the story is going so far, so I'm starting this story that I've been planning for a long while. It will be told mostly from Blake's point of view but she's gonna mostly screw shit up. I'm gonna have some fun with this :) also I have decided to make "Fabulous" just a one shot again, I have too many other stories I wanna write. My next one is gonna be an AU. Hope you enjoy this!**

 **-Stax**

 **Chapter 1: Any Fangirl's Dream**

Blake was, above all other things, a fangirl.

Specifically, a Marvel fangirl.

She happily gave up her life to participation in the fandom. Fanfiction, comic con- her fourteenth and fifteenth birthdays had been Avengers themed. She was already collecting Spider-Man party supplies for her sixteenth, despite the fact that it wouldn't be for months.

When she wasn't crying herself to sleep over Bucky Barnes, she was happy.

Happy, at least, until that fateful day...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, no, NO YOU TWO HAVE TO KISS!" Blake panicked as she gaped at her television.

"Ugh. Blake, you know Cap is gonna kiss Sharon, you've SEEN this movie like a thousand times" her younger brother Josh grumped from behind his laptop.

"And you know plaid isn't cute, yet you keep hoping" she shot back, eyes still locked on the television. Josh considered himself a hipster, and hence their tumblrs were constantly at war.

"Besides, Widow likes the Hulk. It just wasn't meant to be" he continued, oblivious to her comment.

"Okay, FIRST of all, that pairing came out of nowhere, and it will be a cold day in hell when I ship it" she said, taking her eyes off the screen for the first time in a good half hour.

"MOOOMMMM, BLAKE SAID A BAD WORD" Josh yelled, smirking. His irate sister scrambled over the back of the couch and forced a throw pillow over his mouth.

"HE'S LYING, I DID NOTHING OF THE SORT" she hollered in the general direction she figured her mom was. Josh thrashed against the pillow, intending to free his mouth so as to contradict her.

"MMM-NMMMPHHH!" His skinny arms flailed at her face, bumping against his laptop-

Which crashed to the floor and cracked the screen. Both involved parties went stiff in shock, and the pillow bounced dramatically to the floor.

"Oh, you're gonna get it now!" Josh angrily stated, standing suddenly. Blake braced herself to be tackled but was horrified when he ran out instead. His cries of "MOOOOOOMMMM" echoed back to her as she shuddered. Last time she had broken something of Josh's, it was his phone. Mom had made Blake give hers to him. Damn it, she couldn't LIVE without her fanfiction.

She glanced at the television, making a strangled noise in her throat. She was watching Captain America: The winter Soldier; was kicking ass on the ship now. She sighed longingly.

 _I wish I could be there instead..._

And everything went white.

XXX

"WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL" Blake shrieked, eyes screwed shut. Her butt landed on something hard, and her head followed suit. "OW! Damn it!"

"...Steve come here" a feminine voice urged somewhere to her left. Blake tentatively cracked open an eye and looked over.

"What...?" A masculine voice came after a series of footsteps. Blake couldn't believe here eyes- or, eye. She opened the other eye and turned her head.

"How did she get on the ship..." the woman continued. Blake shot to her feet and began hyperventilating.

"Oh my sweet shit, OH MY SWEET SHIT!" She flapped her hands uselessly. It was- IT WAS- "SCARLETT JOHANSSON!" She shrieked, gesturing at the woman. "AND CHRIS EVANS!" She couldn't keep her feet still, so overwhelming was her excitement.

"What...?" Chris Evans asked, clearly confused. _Oh, they're even dressed in costume! THEY MUST BE RECORDING!_ She jumped clear off the deck.

"HOLY SHIT GUYS, I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!" She screamed, rushing forward to hug Scarlett Johansson. "Oof!" She found herself getting a good close-up view of the deck, her arm twisted awkwardly behind her.

"Who are you and how did you get here?" the woman hissed in her ear.

"Nat, she's a kid! Be gentle!" Slightly dazed, Blake twisted her head to look at the actor, still holding his shield.

"Nah I'm alright! I- uh- I don't know how I got here- I think I blacked out in my living room or something, like..." she jerked her head around, taking in her surroundings. "Woah, are we really on a real ship? Like, for real?" She twisted out from under Nat, who didn't resist. "Look, I'm sorry that I got in the way of your filming-" Chris Evans held up a hand and interrupted.

"Wait, filming?"

"Yeah, sorry I interrupted, look, I'll just call my mom..." she fished around in her pocket for her phone. "Oh, shit, I lost it- uh, can I borrow your phone?" Chris and Scarlett shared a look, then they moved towards her. "Uh...where are we going?" She asked as they each commandeered an elbow and steered her towards the front of the ship.

"Taking you to our boss" Came the curt answer. Blake got the impression that no more questions would be answered. She shut up and started just taking it all in.

XXX

Blake was stoked as hell. Not only were they on a freaking legit boat, but she and all the actors were flown off in incredibly realistic movie prop planes. She hadn't even realized they used real planes for recording, she thought they were sets with green screens.

Granted, they HAD buckled her in kinda tightly, that wasn't pleasant. She tried loosening it but found that the buckle was locked. _I guess I might just not know how it works... why would they lock it anyway_ she chuckled to herself. Whatever was going on, this was the coolest-

A flash of light made her cover her eyes. She peeked out when the burst died down to see-

A pink floating ball of light, like the size of a basket ball.

"Uh..." she eyed the thing warily. Definitely NOT a movie prop.

" _Oh shit, you're the wrong one"_ the ball projected the words into her mind.

"Ooh, you're a talking ball! I'm gonna call you... 'balls' " Blake nodded. Best to play it cool, she decided. No way to tell if the thing was dangerous or naw. The ball floated back, looking as affronted as a ball of light could.

 _"Uh, no. Don't call me that. And I gotta get you back home! This could cost me my internship!"_

"Uh... if you don't mind my asking... what are you...?" Blake braced herself in case Balls got pissed at the question.

 _"Listen, it doesn't matter. You aren't supposed to be here, someone else is supposed to fix this timeline. You... you didn't wish to come here, by any chance, did you?"_ Balls pulsed nervously.

"Uh... yeah."

 _"Tsk. That explains it, must have messed with my sensors. I just gotta..."_ The thing gasped. _"Uh... listen, I don't have a large enough portal available to send you home, at least not just yet. You're gonna have to fix this timeline..."_

"Dude, why do you keep saying timeline? Wanna clue me in as to what's happening?" Balls bobbed and sighed.

 _"Might as well give you the welcoming speech. Ahem-"_ she floated backwards, giving Blake a better view. _"Welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and yes, it really is another dimension."_ Blake's mouth hung open. _"I work for an organization who specializes in correction of discrepancies among the multiverse and you have just been hired as a field agent."_

"Wuh-wuuut?" the shocked girl stuttered.

 _"Uh... we fix stuff so it happens like it did in the movies, or as close as possible."_ Blake gulped and nodded. _"You weren't supposed to be in this dimension, or any of it's similar ones-"_

"Similar ones?"

 _"Uh... yeah, there are several Marvel Cinematic Universes... we are fixing like twenty of them now, they have us interns work them because they're 'easy'. We'll see"_ Balls added, humming quietly. _"Okay, listen: my battery is running low so I can't stay much longer. I need you to just stay out of trouble, and I'll come and tell you when you have to do something important."_

"So... you're saying I get to hang out with the Avengers? For reals?"

 _"Yeah... and, Blake, please don't tell anyone that I got the wrong person, okay? I like my job, I want to keep it."_ The pink sphere was fading from sight. Blake energetically agreed. _"Oh shit, wait! I have to install the foresight so you don't screw up the timeline! The disk is around here somewhere..."_

"The what now?"

 _"It's really important, ha-"_ and then it was gone.

"Balls!?" Blake yelled the sphere's name. Nothing happened. "BALLS!" Scarlet Joha- no, Black Widow- turned around from her pilot's seat and looked at the girl.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked judgementally. Blake could only sheepishly grin. _Hah, I guess they heard all that..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?"

Nick Fury evaluated the irate super soldier, then responded to his accusation.

"I didn't lie. Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours." The Captain obviously didn't like that response.

"Which you didn't feel obliged to share."

"I'm not obliged to do anything" the director of SHIELD calmly replied.

"The hostages could have died. That kid could have died." That got the man's attention.

"What kid" Fury questioned. He didn't like unknown variables. Steve gave him a wary look.

"That teenage girl, she showed up on the boat after we took everyone down. Came out of nowhere, I don't know how she hid from us until then." He shifted uncomfortably. Fury was supposed to have the answers.

"Did you ask her?"

"No, she kept ranting about filming and... uh..." he broke off.

"And what?" Fury's one eye locked him in place.

"...balls" Captain Rogers uncomfortably added. Fury snorted.

"I'll figure that out later. Right now... I need to show you something."

As the director took the Captain down to see the latest project, Blake was in another room trying to befriend Rumlow.

"Ey, look, these cuffs chafe- I don't really need them, ya know? Look at me, I'm short, I couldn't outrun you. Ooh, your shoes are cool" she commented, forgetting about the cuffs that had been unceremoniously been slapped on upon exiting the plane.

"...Thanks."

"Hey, do you like video games?" Rumlow made a face. "Because, like, theres some good games going on now... ya know..." she weakly ended. "...MOVIES! Have you seen the latest Avengers movie?" She stopped in shock. "Oh no, they don't have those here!" She gasped, coming to a dreadful realization. "My tumblr account doesn't exist here!" She shrieked, standing violently. Rumlow forced her back into her seat.

"Kid, you need to calm down and wait for the director."

"Okay." She shifted in her seat for barely half a minute. "Hey, you like Angry Birds?" Rumlow didn't say anything. Blake huffed. Sitting up straight, she came to a realization. _This is just like a fanfiction!_ She thought. _Maybe I can make my otp canon! Maybe, I could get a super hero boyfriend!"_ She bounced in her seat excitedly. _I don't just have to fix what the sphere wants, I can fix ALL OF IT. This can be just like one of those fanfictions where the OC wins over everyone and saves the day! You got the personality-_ she looked down at herself- _You got the average looks and short height, and darned if you aren't in the perfect position to make it happen!_

She stood up and moved towards the door.

"Yes, yes!" She mumbled to herself- before she was jerked back by the collar of her shirt. Rumlow. She had forgotten about him...

"How about no, no? Put your ass in the chair and STAY there." Irately complying, she shot the man her best stink eye and returned to speculations.

 _...wait, if we were just on that boat, does this mean we're in the events of Cap 2?_ she wondered. _If so... then we're in trouble! Shield is going down... I better keep a safe distance from all the action..._

Nick Fury entered the room. Blake perked right up. Fury leveled a pointed finger at her.

"You. You're coming with me. Hurry up, we don't have all day" he ordered. Crap... so much for staying out of the middle of things. _Time to make a plan B?_


	2. 2: In the Thick of Things

**Hello peeps, yes I am aware that I missed two updates. I'm gonna explain further on "Home Is Where Your Heart Is" when I update tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.**

 **-Stax**

Chapter 2: In The Thick of Things

Blake's fears seemed, for the moment, unfounded. She had expected to be dragged right into Fury's van and to have to deal with the Winter Soldier. Instead, she was put in an interrogation room and left there for what felt like hours. Thinking hard, she realized that he would have to discover that he was locked out of the flash drive and go up for a visit to Pierce before he had the chase scene. Sighing heavily, she came to terms with the fact that she had probably been forgotten.

More time passed. Blake put her head down on the table to nap. Just as sweet dreams of her otp began to lick at the edges of her mind, the door banged open violently.

"Wuh..." Fury had dragged her out of the room in seconds, and she came to full consciousness in the elevator. "What the hell-"

"I need to get out of here because something is going down, and Rogers would throw a tantrum if I left a kid in this mess. Besides, I think you know something" the director alluded. She shuffled uncomfortably.

"Kinda, but some of it is a secret. I can help though." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "I like the whole pirate vibe, by the way. Totally you. Totally cool." Fury gave her a disdainful look out his one eye. "Anyway- what do you need?"

"Let's start with your name."

"Blake Rawley." Fury nodded. The elevator reached the parking garage and he stepped out, still propelling her forward by a grip on her arm.

"Do you know what's happening in SHIELD right now?" They reached the car and he looked at her expectantly.

"Hydra." He looked shocked, but not as shocked as would be expected. Blake fought a smirk from seeing the foreign expression on his face.

"Are you sure?"

"Positively absolutely." Fury pulled a gun on her.

"Then you must be a part of Hydra to know that" he said, disengaging the safety. Blake held up her hands in a placating manner, panicking.

"No no I swear I'm not, you wouldn't believe me if I told you" she insisted. "Shit, how do I prove it to you?"

"Help me." He tucked the gun away. "It's not Hydra's style to use kids, but I like to keep an open mind. You're gonna help" he repeated, nodding as he opened the passenger door for her. Blake had already planned to do that, so she nodded and they were on their way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Uh... Fury..."

"Good lord, kid, do you need to use the bathroom AGAIN?" Fury wasn't happy at all.

"Uh... no, but I think I should tell you that those aren't cops and-" she began as Fury drove the SUV into the intersection. She saw the cop car coming to ram their vehicle, and instead of yelling 'LOOK OUT!', she made the snap decision to stomp on Fury's right foot. The added pressure on the gas made the vehicle jump forward, and instead of the car being hit on Fury's door, the back end took the hit. Spinning around, the car lined up perfectly for a head on collision...

Fury's head slammed on the wheel, hard.

"Uh... Nick?" Blake asked dazedly. She too had hit her head but not as hard. Panic welled in her chest as she realized the man was out cold. "FURY!" She smacked the back of his head. Nothing. "Uh..." they were getting the battering ram out, that wasn't supposed to happen until later... She jumped into action. Rolling Fury out of his seat, she yelled at the computer:

"REROUTE ALL POWER TO THE PROPULSION SYSTEMS!" Fortunately, due to the positioning of the car the propulsion was working. She slammed down on the gas and rammed the police car in front of her out of the way. Fury made a groaning noise and moved slightly. "Uh... I NEED TO DISAPPEAR, GIMME DIRECTIONS" she yelled at the computer.

"Turn Left at this intersection and-" the computer began, but Fury sat up and interrupt.

"What the hell are you doing" he asked, clearly not all there. Blake wrinkled her face worriedly as she turned the car. It was far from easy, still handcuffed as she was. Broadsiding a minivan, she turned to her dazed passenger and attempted to calm him.

"Uh... Hydra is chasing us, don't worry though, I got this" she nodded. She scraped against a slow moving sports car and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"Do you even know how to drive?" The director hissed, obviously in pain.

"Uh... no, but I've driven go karts before. Mario Karts too" she added, attention once again on the road. There were men with guns. Pulling the wheel sharply right she veered down an alleyway, taking off the driver's side view mirror. Fury looked legitimately scared, an expression which blake was surprised to see. "Computer, where do I turn?"

"Left."

Fury slid indo the door during the turn. Blake realized he was going into shock.

"Uh... maybe put your feet up and think happy thoughts. I don't really know first aid" she said worriedly.

"Damage report.." Fury demanded. Blake opened her mouth to repeat that she didn't know, but the computer answered first.

"Concussion, two crushed ribs, possible dislocation in the left shoulder" the computer listed. Blake ignored the rest of the exchange as she saw a familiar figure standing in the road.

The Winter Soldier.

Gulping, she looked for a turn but realized the only thing she could do was turn around.

So that's what she did.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Fury half screamed as Blake began to execute her first three point turn ever. He grabbed the wheel and tried to prevent her from finishing. "They're all back there, we can't-"

In a shower of broken glass, a metal fist came terrifyingly close to Blake's face. He reached for Fury ominously.

"AAAH! BUCKY! BUCKY! JAMES! BUCKY! STOP!" She shrieked, smacking his arm pointlessly. Fury was in no position to crawl out of the vehicle so the brainwashed man turned to this tiny opponent. Pulled out by her out by her shirt, she panicked and did the only thing she could think of.

"[ _Longing! Rusted! Seventeen! Dawn! Stove! Nine! Kind-hearted! Homecoming! One! Freight Car!]"_ She shrieked in Russian. Being the fangirl that she was, she had memorized the Winter Soldier's trigger words from the Civil War movie.

They worked.

Her feet on the ground once more, she looked at Bucky in shock.

" _[Ready to comply]"_ he answered. Or at least, that's what Blake ASSUMED he said, she hadn't memorized his response. He wasn't attacking her, that was all that mattered.

"Uh..." she turned and looked at Fury, who had an amazed expression spread across his face. It also looked... kinda loopy. "Come here and carry this guy, ok?" Quickly, Bucky freed the director from the vehicle and stood there holding him like a baby. Fury didn't seem to be processing everything that was happening.

Blake fished through his pockets and found the device to cut through concrete. Sirens were sounding in the distance and she figured they wouldn't get far above ground. After a few moments she fired it up, nearly cutting her thumb off in the process. She leaned down and cut a hole in the concrete in what felt like slow motion. It fell out to reveal a good sized sewer tunnel.

"Oh good, I was scared that wouldn't work" she breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok buddy, we're gonna go down here and then you're gonna drag the car over top, ok?" She ordered. Nodding, he dropped Fury unceremoniously down the hole. Blake sighed and crawled down after. Bucky jumped in and pulled the vehicle behind him, just as tires screeched from down the street. "Alright, now carry him GENTLY and follow me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After wasting a lot of time going the wrong direction, Fury woke up and directed them to Steve's Apartment with a lot of cussing. Blake was glad to have Bucky to haul the lethargic Fury up to the Captain's third story apartment. And then they waited. Ominously the Winter Soldier sat in the corner, as per his new boss's request. It was only sunset, so she knew it would be awhile until Steve showed up. Fury was sleeping so she figured this was the time to work some magic.

"Hey, Bucky?" He turned his head creepily. "Uh... do you remember that your name is Bucky?" He answered after a moment of hesitation.

"My name is what you call me." Blake huffed.

"Ok, that's your name. Do you ever wonder what happened before you became a soldier?" He stared blankly.

"No."

"...can you take the mask off, please?" She requested. Promptly he removed the heavy muzzle and placed it in his lap. "Ok, I'm gonna tell you about when you were NOT a mercenary. You are a human being and you should have better, ok?" She pressed. He nodded but obviously was just following orders. "Your name is James Buchanan Barnes, your Best Friend is Steve Rogers. You are from World War 2, do you remember that?" He shook his head. "Ugh, I wish I had a picture." She got a good idea. "Hey, I'll play some music from your time, that'll spur your memory I'd bet." Blake looked around. Given that this was the Captain's place, he had lots of records and an old fashioned player. Choosing one at random, she tried to get it started.

It was harder than it looked.

"Dang it all, why isn't it playing now" she fussed. "It's spinning, shouldn't it be playing?" Kicking the machine frustratedly, she sensed a presence behind her.

"You need to put this down" Bucky informed her, practically breathing down her neck. He lowered the arm and music started to play.

"Dude, see? You DO remember!" He showed no glimmer of recognition in his eyes. Blake didn't know what she expected.

"Ok."

"You're lying."

"Yes."

"Fine. Lets sit down and... and we'll do more later. I'm pooped." She flopped onto the old-timey couch and Bucky returned to his chair. Fury snored lightly. Blake shifted in her seat and wondered how to spur his memory.

Minutes passed.

Blake was getting upset over the fact that Bucky wouldn't or couldn't relax. She had tried ordering him but he seemed to have forgotten. He was faking it as best he could because she had ordered him, flopping his head back against the chair. But his back was too straight and he was too tense overall. She wanted to take a swing at whomever had made him this way-

A face came around the corner. Blake gasped, having forgotten that Steve would be coming. He glanced at her surprised, then at the unconscious Fury, and lastly at-

"Bucky!?" Shit. He hadn't put his mask back on. This was going to be hard to explain...

 **I didn't want to tell you in the pre-story note because she hadn't changed the storyline yet, but from here on things will be less and less like the movie as she "helps". Things are gonna go downhill fast so buckle up!**


	3. 3: Gathering the Team

**Ok guys here's the next chapter, nothing to comment on today. Enjoy!**

 **-Stax**

 **Chapter 3: Gathering the Team**

A painfully long moment passed as the Captain maintained eye contact with the wary Winter Soldier. Blake wasn't sure how to break the silence. She resisted the urge to tell Steve "shut your mouth or you're gonna catch flies" because this was understandably an emotional moment

"...Bucky?" he asked again, his voice thick with emotion. Bucky continued to silently stare, calculating this newcomer. Steve cautiously stepped into the room, disbelieve plain on his face. "Bucky... is it really you? How are you alive?" Blake nervously chuckled.

"Yeah, it's him, but it's not... him. Sit down, I'll explain it." Still looking shell shocked, the Captain placed his posterior on the couch next to her and gave her an expectant look.

"See, when he fell off the train, Hydra got to him first-" Steve violently stood up.

"Hydra? Oh God, Bucky, did they hurt you?" Steve was now standing over Bucky and fussing like a mamma hen. Bucky stood up confrontationally and took a menacing stance.

"No, no, Bucky, he's fine, he's your friend too" Blake hurriedly said. "Its fine." He didn't look convinced. "Sit down, it's all good, man." Cautiously he did as told, still eyeing the blond who was uncomfortably close.

"Wait, so he knows you?" Steve was confused, and he had noticed the metal arm now. His gaze was flipping quickly between Bucky, his arm and this strange girl who was able to calm his friend down.

"Not really, he's just obeying orders because I snatched him off Hydra-"

"Hydra's gone!"

"Yeah, about that..." Blake felt bad for the guy. Some unreadable expression spread across his face and he stepped angrily towards the girl.

"You mean to tell me they're still around and functioning!?" His tone was threatening and he was too close for comfort. Suddenly he whirled away- Bucky had grabbed his arm and pulled him away from his perceived 'boss'.

"No, Bucky, he's ok, he's not gonna hurt me!" Standing up, she removed his death grip from Steve who looked like he had just been betrayed in the worst way possible. Really, he had been- his best friend was aggressively defending some stranger and didn't seem to recognize him.

"You." He turned to Blake suddenly. She put her hands up in a placating manner, startled to see the angered expression on the Captain's face. "He's obeying you because you're a PART of Hydra, ISN'T he!" His expression darkened further. "That's how you know Hydra is still around!" He was positively fuming now. Blake paled as she was suddenly pinned to the wall. This alarming development was short lived, however. Once again Bucky hauled his former friend off of her. "Bucky! BUCKY! She's not your friend, I am! Stop-"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN!" Fury was up and he was mad. Blake nodded at Bucky for him to go along with the loud order. He sat defensively next to her, however, shooting violent glances at Steve. Fury didn't look well.

"Blake, explain everything, I'm gonna sleep again because yes. Rogers, behave." The loopy director of SHIELD made the "I'm watching you" signal with his hands and proceeded to flop back and fall quickly fall asleep again.

"...We ought to get him a doctor soon-ish" Blake noted. Steve huffed.

"Just... tell me what's going on." She shifted in her seat, took a deep breath and launched into her lengthy explanation.

XXX

"I don't like this at all." Blake understood Steve's apprehension. Finding out that a young girl knew his future and was screwing with it would be disconcerting to anybody. But there was no time for that; She had plans to get on top of things and they had to hurry.

"It's all gonna work out, I promise" Blake nodded. "Anyways, so first we gotta get Widow and Sam on board, then we get the chips from Agent Hill, then we sneak in and swap out the chips before the Helicarriers even take off, and then we can fly those suckers out over the atlantic and crash them there. Easy peasy, Fury doesn't get shot and you have Bucky. Any questions?" Silence ensued with the notable exception of Fury's snores. "Alrighty then, lets roll!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Steve couldn't stifle his aversion to how fast things were moving. As an afterthought, this Blake girl had insisted that they bring Kate, the nurse from across the hall, of all people. It turned out that she was actually a SHIELD agent assigned to protect him. Her name wasn't even Kate, it was Sharon! ...Granted, that was a pretty name but this was far from an appropriate time to be thinking such things.

His hands tightened on the wheel in frustration. This strange group- Blake, Sharon, the sleeping Fury, himself, and the man he had once called his best friend were all nervously perched around the white van he had "commandeered". Just as they had left his apartment, a horde of armed gunmen who were presumably Hydra had surrounded the building. They managed to slink away in the shadows, but the sun was on the rise now and the light offered no such refuge. Steve silently prayed that Sam would actually be able to help them as the kid had promised, because he would hate to drag him into this mess otherwise.

Nat was waiting at the secret rendezvous point, a small park a few miles away. She could handle herself but the difficulty would be convincing her that Blake was telling the truth.

He had to give her props; She had already gotten Bucky to loosen up, if only a bit. She was making him play some letter spotting game through the tinted windows and he seemed to... almost enjoy it. He kept looking quizzically at Steve's face in the rear view mirror as well. It took all of the Captain's restraint to prevent his hopes from soaring every time. Whatever Hydra had done, they had separated the poor guy from his memories.

Steve thought he would give anything to see his friend one more time. All the nights spent lying awake, replaying the moment he fell over and over again, agonizing over how he could have saved Bucky had he been just a little faster stronger. All those nights, all the horrible dreams, wishing against all hope that he could have just a minute more with the man. Now he had that chance. But with a feeling of guilt, he wondered if death would have been a better fate for his friend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Natasha could not believe Steve. Check that, she could not believe BLAKE. Everything felt worong with this situation. EVERYTHING. There was no way in hell this kid could tell the future. Also, given that THE FREAKING WINTER SOLDIER HIMSELF took orders from her, Nat felt that she was undeniably bad news.

But Steve seemed to trust her. Steve, one of the very few people she could genuinely say was on her sad, short list of friends. The assassin wanted very much so to keep it that way. Besides, if things went south she wanted to be there to back him up.

So she found herself agreeing to come along to God knows where with the strange group. She was very concerned about Fury, but fortunately Agent 13 was along for the ride. The kid had ratted her out to Steve, who fortunately brought her along. Agent 13, who was introduced to her as Sharon, had apparently been guarding Steve under the guise of the sweet nurse next door. She knew enough medicine to diagnose Fury's concussion and set his ribs and dislocated shoulder.

Deep down, Nat worried that it wasn't enough. It was better than being shot, which apparently Blake had prevented from happening, but without proper rest and medication the Director could easily take a turn for the worse. All she could do was sit and hope that the kid was telling the truth, that things would work out somehow. It was not a pleasant feeling.

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Sam was beyond surprised at the group that showed up and the young girl who half forced her way into his house. Steve was with her. And to make matters worse, as the Captain apologized and tried to explain, the kid emerged from his home office with _the folder_ and quickly SHOWED IT TO STEVE. Before he could even open his mouth, she had explained what it was and why they had to retrieve it.

The former soldier was fuming, and it took all of Steve's efforts to calm him down. The kid, introduced to him as Blake, had the audacity to ask him why he was mad. The nerve. She just... he couldn't deal with this. Check that- he COULD deal with this. Captain America needed him. He sat in his living room with his lips pursed, trying to keep from blowing up at the strange teenager as she tried to get responses from the creepy-ass hobo she had dragged with her. He just hoped that Cap and Natasha would be back with the wings soon, because on top of everything else she kept putting the cup of water he had so graciously offered her right NEXT to the coaster. Not on the coaster. Next to it.

The minutes ticked by and the hobo kept giving him the creepy death glare. What would compel a person to be so defensive of that brat was beyond him.

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Agent Maria Hill was less quick to go along with things. The child, who seemed to be trusted by Steve and the alleged Winter Soldier, knew about the chips to override the helecarriers. She insisted that they were needed urgently, that Hydra had taken over SHIELD. While Hill could believe that, she didn't buy that Blake just "knew the future". In fact, this stunk of a trap. A stupid, poorly thought out trap, but it had to be. The girl had to be Hydra. She would lure them to SHIELD with the chips where her associates could snag the chips with ease. Then they would have no opposition.

The fact that the Winters Soldier was acting like she owned him further backed up this theory.

Additionally, she had gotten Hill's boss in an accident. The concussion was bad; Fury couldn't even wake up long enough to confirm Blake's story. Steve insisted he had been awake before and had told him that the girl was legit. But the Agent of Shield didn't trust the super soldier's judgement for one simple reason.

This Winter Soldier was apparently his old friend Bucky. Blake was pulling the strings on Bucky, Bucky had pull on Steve, therefore Blake had pull on Steve. Hill was just glad that she had two other agents to back her up. The unknown soldier that Steve had brought along was a possible ally as well, he made no effort to hide the disdain in which he held Blake.

Unfortunately, Hill knew she couldn't just ignore the possibility that the helecarriers would be used in Hydra's mass extermination plans. The news already held reports that Cap was a fugitive from the law, so there was a slight chance that Blake's claims held water. For now, she would go along with the plan. But not for a moment did she intend to blindly follow the kid into Hydra-infested territory carrying what could be humanity's last hope. Not. For. A. Moment.

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"Steve?" The man huffed angrily at the questioning use of his name.

"I swear, Blake, if we stop for the bathroom again someone will recognize me! We just stopped half an hour ago-"

"No, no, it's not the bathroom..." Blake corrected, pausing. "...at least not for a bit..." the whole van groaned. "Uh, but what I was saying was, Fury and Hill are supposed to have a secret underground tunnel to get into the base." Steve craned his neck awkwardly to look at Agent Hill and gauge her reaction. She showed nothing.

Internally, she was flipping out. Yet another classified bit of intel that suggested Blake was Hydra.

"Yes, we do" she confirmed, face straight. Nat discreetly eyed the agent. Both of them knew something was up. There was no point trying to hide the tunnel now, since the girl knew about it. Hill directed the van to the location.

The tension in the van was palpable. Some measure of distrust was felt between most of the people. Everyone distrusted the Winter Soldier, even the man who once called him a friend. The glare in the weaponized man's eyed made clear in no uncertain terms that the girl was under his protection. Blake's efforts to talk to him like a normal human were making progress, barely, but it was a meager comfort.

Blake wasn't picking up on any of this. Happy and clueless, she worked relentlessly to restore her "buddy" to what he used to be. In her mind she was the hero of this epic, she would cleverly right every wrong and put a bow on top for good measure.

But first, another bathroom break was an order.


End file.
